Man charged over spiritual healer's murder

A Brisbane financial adviser has been charged over the murder of a missing Gold Coast "spiritual counsellor".

Trung Ma, 34, was arrested yesterday afternoon and will face Brisbane Magistrates Court this morning over the death of 63-year-old Hugo Bonham, a self-described "divine transformational facilitator" and a wealthy gold trader.

Mr Bonham had not been seen since the night of February 2, when he visited his son at Southport.

He spoke by phone to a bank the following day as he went about buying a secluded retreat in the Gold Coast hinterland.

But Mr Bonham failed to turn up to an appointment with a real estate agent that day, which prompted them to contact his Gold Coast-based sister who then reported him missing on February 6.

Police then found blood splatters at Mr Bonham's rented residence and established a major crime scene, saying they held grave fears for his safety.

Vietnamese-born Ma, a principal at a financial services firm based at Indooroopilly, is believed to have had a business relationship with Mr Bonham, but police would not divulge a motive, the Courier-Mail reports.